Personal computer and their attached monitors or displays, as well as laptop computers, have become common household appliances, with many homes having more than one personal computer system. The displays generally remain idle when the personal computer is not in use. Nevertheless, many personal computers are often located in central places in a home and the displays could potentially be used to independently display content, for example, pictures, calendar, or advertisements, that does not require the active computational resources of the personal computer.
Conventional software applications exist to utilize the display for such purposes. Generally, these applications require the personal computer to be turned on to display the content, even though the personal computer is not being used in a manner that involves active human user interaction via the user interface. While running, though, the personal computer consumes energy, is subject to wear and tear, and remains vulnerable to malicious software.
Personal computer displays are increasingly becoming available with onboard storage, external media readers, and internal logic to unilaterally display content, whether visual, audio, or both. For instance, active digital picture frames are widely available and include a receptacle to accommodate external storage media storing, for instance, digital pictures or music, even when not connected to an active “on” personal computer. However, loading the content from external media requires manual operation by the user and physical custody of the external media, such as a memory card, with the inconvenience of operating and increased costs associated with replicating user interface controls. Moreover, the content to be transferred to the active display oftentimes originates at the personal computer itself, and even though the two devices, the personal computer and the active display, may already be physically connected, a convenient and automated way to transfer the content into the active display's onboard is lacking.
One possible approach is to connect the processing unit of a personal computer to an active display using a special purpose cable or via wireless interconnect to transfer content from the personal computer into the active display's onboard memory. However, matching and compatible computers and active displays are required, in addition to specialized hardware for communication and labor for installation.
Therefore, there exists the need for a mechanism to transfer content from a personal computer or other external source to an active display for later viewing, particularly when the personal computer is turned off or inactive.